Thrashing Doves (Marquee Tue)
Joining a line of post-punk English eccentrics (It's Immaterial et al) come Thrashing Doves, whose mix of styles renders description almost redundant. The 18-month-old quintet came together from the ashes of a number of forgettable London bands. Signed to A&M. they mix trash pop, mutant country, neurotic new wave and lots of other funny little bits stuck on the side. The result, while sometimes verging on madness, is fresh, original, quite mind-boggling in its eclecticism but immediately gripping. Their debut 45. 'Matchstick Flotilla' self-produced but mixed — another boggle — by none other than Arthur Baker. might best be described as offering the missing link between 'White Rabbit' and 'Love Goes To A Building On Fire'. Yeah, that weird. And just what did Einstein say about mankind's measles?
John Gill